Ayn Rand Institute Looks Back in Anger

"The businessman is the one who devotes his mind to producing wealth. He is the creator of the American way of life. Without his present and past actions, our daily lives would resemble the dismal existence of the Afghanis. . . . But the thousands of businessmen who perished on that date and their allies-in-spirit who survived are the heroes who make our way of life a daily reality—and deserve to be honored as well." (Sept. 3)

President George W. Bush's call for a "September of Service"

"Contrary to President Bush, service to others is not a virtue nor an American ideal. . . . [It] is the philosophy of the Communists, the Nazis—and the Islamic terrorists. Each demands that that individual sacrifice his values and self, whether for the sake of the state, the race or God. What could be less selfish, more selfless, than flying a plane into a skyscraper because God ordered you to kill infidels?" (Sept. 5)

Our enemies

"As Islamic fundamentalists, the terrorists seek destruction and death. . . . And unfortunately their greatest allies—and America's gravest enemy—are in our own universities. For decades, a nihilist professorship has undermined America by preaching that reason is invalid, science is superstition, individualism is evil, capitalism is exploitation. What country can summon the courage to defend itself when its own intellectuals declare that it is an abominable evil that should apologize to the world and then be destroyed?" (Sept. 12)

"The Nature of Heroism"

"Some of the West's greatest heroes [include] Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford and other industrialists [who] spent decades, often alone, to build empires and create billions of dollars in wealth and opportunity. . . . What motivates these individuals to their heroic acts? Not the selfless desire to serve others. They are motivated by self-enhancement; by the joy derived from their independence, their creativity, their use of their productive minds." (Sept. 18)

Corporate CEOs

"CEOs . . . are heroes because they are exceptionally productive individuals pursuing their own goals and happiness. CEOs are the Atlases carrying the whole world on their shoulders, and it should come as no surprise that at a time when they are under such vicious attack, they are turning to Atlas Shrugged to find a sense of their own moral worth and the moral defense they desperately need." (Sept. 26)

Columbus Day

"It is Western Civilization, not primitivism, that creates the values that make human life possible. American Indians were not noble savages—but were the greatest beneficiaries of Columbus' discovery of this continent. . . . There is no equality between Western Civilization, with its emphasis on science, reason, progress and the individual and the primitive American Indian cultures, with their emphasis on mysticism, brutality and the collective. The undeniable truth is that Western Civilization is the best culture." (Oct. 9)

Corporate Crime

"[M]assive controls and regulations imposed on American business in the 20th century actually foster rather than impede corporate fraud. They cripple the true wealth creators while opening the door to those who seek to get away with survival by means of currying business favors from regulators and bureaucrats and engaging in scams." (Oct. 15)

Awarding Jimmy Carter the Nobel Peace Prize

"For many years, Carter, espousing collectivist ideals, has traipsed the globe, treating dictators and their victims with equal 'respect.' This image of the great peace arbiter, selflessly above the fray, trying to resolve 'differences,' is apparently what the Nobel Committee finds so admirable. . . . [But this policy] has never achieved peace. It can only achieve the same result as a compromise between food and poison—death." (Oct. 18)

The World Series

"The essential value of spectator sports, like baseball, lies in their capacity to demonstrate, in a dramatic way, the process of human goal-achievement. . . . [T]oday, in America, traditional sources of inspiration have dried up, but baseball gives a rare, direct glimpse of heroes in action. . . . Athletes take an unapologetic, selfish pride in their abilities and achievements." (Oct. 24)

Veterans Day

"[I]f a soldier is ordered to give aid and succor to an enemy trying to kill him, that would be a true sacrifice—and morally obscene. Yet this is exactly what we are asking of our servicemen when they risk their lives to drop food in Afghanistan." (Nov. 8)